watkins



G. A. WATKINS. Needle for Weaving Splint Chair Seats.

I No. 75,500. Patented March 10, 18-68;

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Letters PatentNo. 75,500, dated lllarah 10, 1 868.

IMPBQVEMENT IN DEVICE FOR WEAV ING CHAIR-SEATS.

@Iltfitlltitltlt mam-m hi this: new t at an mahiuuw Be it known that I, G. A. WATKINS, of Proctorsville, in the county of Windsor, and State of Vermont,

have invented anew and useful Needle or'Device for Weaving Splint Chair and other Seats or Bottoms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, and in which.- V

Figure 1 represents a side view of my invention in one of its forms,'with splint attached.

Figure 2, an edge view of the same.

Figure 3, a diagram, illustrating how the same is or may be'applied; and

Figure 4 a side view of a modification of the device. Y

My improvement has for its object facilitating or expediting the interlacing or weaving of splints of single lengthsin the formation of splint chair or other seats or bottoms. This is usually done by first arranging a series of splints, to compose the warp, and afterwards interlacing, by hand direct, the weft-splints or filling,

threading them in succession, or at suitable distances, alternately above and below the warp-splints, and after wards beating up the filling by a file or any other suitable and convenient tool or stick. Such is comparatively a slow process, and my invention consists in a device for the purpose of weaving the splints, so constructed as that, while it answers as a needle or shuttle to carry the filling-splint through the warp, it also serves .as a stick or batten for beating up the previous fillin Referring to the accompanying drawing, or, more especially, figs. 1, 2, and 3 thereof, A represents a fiat or other suitahly-shapedbar, made of any suitable. material, the back edge, a, of which may be straight, and its one end, I), rounded or pointed, at or near which end it is constructed to form a spring-jaw, B having a shoulder or projection, 0, against which, on opening the jaw that serves to hold the splint G, the one end of the latter is made to butt, to adjust the filling-splint to its place along the edge, 11, of the bar; or, instead of a spring-jaw B, the bar, at its foward end, may,'as represented in fig.=4, be formed with a recess, e, and spurs s, to hold 'the splint at its end, or be otherwise suitably constructed to hold the splint in a secure but detachable manner. In case of the spring-jaw B, spurs may also be employed, but will not be found generally requisite.

To use this combined needle or shuttle and beating-up stick or batten, which is or may be of greater length than the width of the web, it is advisable,,where working with the hand, to use two of such implements alter-- nately or in succession, by, after properly arranging the warp-splints, first attaching the one end of a fillingsplint to the jaw or holding-portion'of the one bar, and so that it lies against the one'edgc, d, thereof, and then with such needle and its splint, interlacing or threading the warp, after which the jaw maybe sprung open to detach the .bar, needle, or shuttle from the splint, (or the detachment be otherwise efi'ected',) and said needle withdrawn from the web, then throwing through the shed, after it hasbeen changcd, thc second needle, with its filling-splint, and so on alternately or in succession till the seat is woven, each'needle, in turn, answering, after it has threaded its splint,- andpreviously to withdrawing it, to beat up, as a batten, the preceding filling; by, where the process is ahand one-a loom-action being substituted, if desired-'clutching both ends of said needle with the hands,'and drawing it sharply towards the web or woven portion of the seat. v In this way may chair and other seats or bottoms formed of splints in single lengths be woven much more expeditiously and easily than by the ordinary or previous hand-process of making them.

What I here claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-;- N p A needle or shuttle, of flat shape or bar form,-eonstructcd, ns described, to hold the splints at their one end in such manner as that'th e splint may be readily detachable therefrom after it has been passed through the warp, and shaped to form a batten for beating up the filling, substantially as specified. p

G. A. WATKINS.

Witnesses:

J. W. Goomns, 9 A. LE, Omens. 

